'Eye In The Sky' Looking For Hunters Who Go Too Far

KISSIMMEE — Reinforcements have been called in to be on the lookout for hunters who overstep their boundaries in the county's rural pockets.

An airplane is assigned to hover over the dense forest and swampland to make sure everyone stays within the limits of the law -- and the hunting grounds.

In short, general hunting season is under way, and anyone who trespasses is fair game to the Osceola County Sheriff's Department.

For fear of letting the ''big one'' get away, an overzealous hunter may tiptoe onto a road for a better aim at a target. But a deputy will be on hand to ''shoot'' the hunter down with a hefty fine or a trip to the county jail.

''Trespassing is a big problem during hunting season,'' said Lt. Bob Hansell of the sheriff's Grove and Ranch division. ''But for every legal hunter, there's not an illegal hunter, although it seems that way sometimes,'' he said, chuckling.

Hansell said hunters are not allowed to stray onto property where ''No Trespassing'' signs are posted or where fences have been erected to keep unwanted people out. Also, property ''cleared of its natural vegetation,'' such as land used to grow crops, is off-limits to hunters, he said.

Four men and a juvenile were charged with various trespassing violations Saturday, the first day of the general hunting season.

Paul Peltzer, 26, of Lake Mary, and Thomas Denmark, 30, of Dundee, were charged with armed trespassing. George Gouker, 25, of Auburndale, and Donald Johnson, 48, of Fort Pierce, were charged with hunting from a roadway. The juvenile was charged with simple trespassing; Hansell said a deputy could not locate a weapon near the youth.

Penalties for stepping over the limits to shoot a deer or turkey are steep. Felony trespassing charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, Hansell said. Misdemeanor trespassing charges carry a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

To prevent hunters from straying onto prohibited property, the sheriff's department has beefed up patrols in the rural parts of the county.

Hansell said he is calling in reserve officers to cruise the lonesome back roads in search of violators. An airplane also has been assigned as an eye in the sky over hunters.